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High Standards Recognized

04.19.07

NASA's Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy at Kennedy Space Center recently received its public safety training academy accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies during a conference in Greensboro, N.C. NASA's training academy at Kennedy is only the second to achieve this status in the state of Florida -- nationwide, it is the 15th.

Operating since 1989 and staffed by 16 Space Gateway Support security officers, the academy provides curriculum development and training classes to all armed NASA and contractor personnel across the agency.

"Achieving this accreditation while maintaining an already intense training schedule demonstrates the dedication of our training staff," said training academy program manager Ron Storey, a NASA special agent in spaceport operations.

The commission, also known as CALEA, views the standards as reflecting the best professional requirements and practices for a public safety training academy agency.

Storey said the process to achieve accreditation began in 2004 with a two-year, self-assessment phase. In 2006, two specialized assessors familiar with the CALEA process arrived at Kennedy to review the training academy's processes and compliance with national law enforcement training academy standards.

In January, CALEA accreditation assessors arrived at the center to interview the training staff comprised of Space Gateway Support law enforcement training instructors. They reviewed paperwork, toured training facilities, observed training in progress and reviewed the center's processes based on 182 CALEA standards.

Lt. J.J. Curtis is an instructor at the academy and served as the Space Gateway Support accreditation manager responsible for processing and developing the standards to meet CALEA requirements.

"This process gave me a new perspective of the working relationship between the various Space Gateway Support directorates, as well as the relationship we have with our NASA customer," Curtis said. "The ability to achieve accreditation from CALEA was a true testament to the professionalism of all those I work with at the NASA Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy."

Rex Wilson, assistant chief of Space Gateway Support security training, said his company's management staff made achieving CALEA accreditation an organizational priority. "I would like to thank the NASA Protective Services office for their vision in recognizing the enhanced professionalism and credibility this achievement will bring to the academy," Wilson said.